When I've travelled to Japan, sooner or later I've usually ended up visiting an Aeon Mall. If you're only in Japan for a very short time, I don't suggest going out of your way to do the same. But if you happen to pass an Aeon Mall incidentally, or if you're in Japan for more than 4 days, I'd say it's worth a look. It's interesting to see the ways Japanese shopping malls differ from those in your homeland. (Me and a friend at Aeon Mall, 2017. Photos taken by me and Josiah Sill

(At Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum I took some bluetooth selfies of myself pretending to be a real early-Showa Period girl. It was so much fun! 2019.) While I did get to go to Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum, I wish I could have spent far more time there. If I were to return to Tokyo again, I would probably find a place to stay close to Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum so that I could visit it over and over again, spending days there, and taking many n

(I recommend listening to Swan Song by Dua Lipa as you read this post. It will help you better understand and imagine the sensation I had that night.) (Image from Pixabay, 2019.) Sometimes, when I'm feeling down, I listen to "Swan Song" by Dua Lipa. It instantly takes me back to a night I spent wandering around Shibuya alone, just off the Shibuya Scramble. I entered the area mostly wanting to take it off my bucket list. But since I was in Japan to travel back in time rather

My first experience of staying in accommodation with a share bathroom was during my second stay in rural Australia. I won’t name the town, since I don’t want to bring them any shame. Since the town is very small, and the accommodations very basic and even squalid, it was very cheap. The hotel was also a pub, so all night long, there were audible sounds of cheering, drunken shouting, boots tramping up and down stairs, and loud vomiting in the bathrooms just outside my room. T

One of the greatest fears I had about my trip to Japan was the thought of catching a cold while I was there. I knew I would be moving many times between different cities, which could be quite taxing and stressful. So I packed carefully for such an eventuality. I packed special pills, and a reusable face mask. So, when I did get sick, I wasn't without some way of coping. Travelling to another country can create that perfect storm of factors that lead to colds and flu: Stress

(Free image from Wix.) (I originally wrote most of this piece as I was preparing to go on a study tour in China. Since then, my mindset has changed. I am less anxious and more inclined to feel sure of my perceptions. But I still think this piece can be a vehicle for thought.) The fact is that sometimes when I think of being far from my home, I feel anxious. In order to deal with my anxiety, I have three tactics. I hide away somewhere by myself, I go for a walk by myself, or I